El Mirage opens new $6.3 million fire station

New headquarters gives firefighters room to do their job

When El Mirage firefighters sleep in a new, $6.3 million fire station this week, they will relish one upgrade the most.

No one will have to sleep on air mattresses.

Last week, the city officially opened the new home for Station 121. The 13,000-square-foot facility at 13513 N. El Mirage Road is the city's Fire Department headquarters and it is El Mirage's only fire station.Inside the new El Mirage fire station

The project is part of an ambitious plan to upgrade city streets, waterlines and public buildings. Some of those projects, including the fire station, are funded by a city bond approved by El Mirage voters in 2008. Construction on a new police station will begin in January and is expected to be completed by the end of next year, City Manager Spencer Isom said.

The city's new fire station will give the Fire Department more space, it will make it easier to train staff and it will help the department do more effective public outreach, Fire Chief Howard Munding said.

"This new fire station is an investment in the community," he said.

Upgrades

Crews built the new station next door to the old one, which was built in 1996. Since 2000, El Mirage's population has grown from 7,600 to 32,000 and the Fire Department began handling more emergency calls.

In 2010, there were 2,997 emergency calls, according to city figures. The following year , there were 3,471 emergency calls to the Fire Department, a 13.7 percent increase.

Also, the department responds to more emergency calls in surrounding cities, such as Surprise and Sun City, Mayor Lana Mook says.

"We were not able to keep up and that can effect all of our surrounding neighbors," Mook said.

Space became a constant problem, Fire Department officials say.

El Mirage has eight firefighters on duty for every 48-hour shift. There weren't enough beds, so two of the firefighters had to sleep on air mattresses. Firefighters did not have enough room to park all firetrucks in the fire station's bays so some of them were parked outside.

Weather damage

The exposure to the elements, including Arizona's triple-digit heat, damaged equipment and the firetrucks, Munding said. Munding did not know how much the city has paid over the years to repair or replace weather-damaged items. The Fire Department's trucks and equipment are worth about $600,000, he said.

There was no community room to do staff and community training in the old building, and often the department would hold classes at nearby elementary schools or outside the station. And, the roof leaked.

In the new station, firefighters have new facilities, including a gym and computer work areas. There's a community room where firefighters can hold CPR classes for the public or groups can hold meetings.

The new building has enough beds for all eight firefighters who staff the station throughout the day, and gives the city the option to add more firefighters later, says Capt. Tom Jury.

There is space to park both firetrucks indoors.

More beds

The new building makes a significant difference in firefighters' ability to do their jobs and in their living situation, says El Mirage Firefighter John Renslow.

"It's really like the Taj Mahal," compared to the old building, he said.

Sal Morales, who was a volunteer firefighter for the city in the 1970s, toured the new station during the grand opening.

"People from the community can rest assured that if there is a medical or fire emergency, the Fire Department can meet their needs," said Morales, 54, of Youngtown. "That alone is priceless knowing they have quality (and) trained personnel."

El Mirage resident Laurie Carnal, 57, says that she watched construction crews break ground on the fire station and watched the project gradually take shape.

"It's beautiful," she said.

Carnal said she is pleased to see the firefighters have a new space to thrive in.

"They will have room to grow and they will continue to grow to meet their needs," Carnal said.

Firefighter Joe Rivera crosses the garage that houses all three of the El Mirage Fire Department's fire engines. The new Station 121, which also serves as the department's headquarters, replaces a station built in 1996 that the city has outgrown.